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A Valentine’s Day Evening with Angela Winbush and special guest Howard Hewett
February 14, 2016 @ 6:00 pm
$65 – $85
Angela Winbush
Singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and producer Angela Winbush's credentials include solo hits such as her R&B number one "Angel"; hits as half of the singing duo René & Angela and their hits "Save Your Love (For #1)" and "Your Smile"; and hits she wrote for Stephanie Mills and the Isley Brothers. Besides Rene Moore, Winbush's early collaborators included Rufus' bassist Bobby Watson, engineer/producer Bruce Swedien, and George Duke.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Winbush grew up singing gospel music in the church choir and learned to play piano as a child. She had no intentions of pursuing a professional music career when she attended Washington, D.C.'s Howard University, where she majored in architecture. To earn money to pay expenses, she began singing on recording sessions and formed a vocal trio that opened for Van McCoy and Al Jarreau. She became interested in the music business and changed her major to music education.
Around 1977, Winbush sent a demo tape to New York DJ Gary Byrd. He played it over the phone for his friend Stevie Wonder, who called Winbush and invited her to Los Angeles. While singing in Wonder's backup band Wonderlove, Winbush learned about writing and producing by sitting in on sessions with Wonder. In 1980, she met singer/songwriter Rene Moore through Wonderlove vocalist Carolyn Dennis and they began writing songs together, eventually forming the duo René & Angela. In 1978, former Tower of Power lead singer Lenny Williams recorded one of their songs, "Changes." A friend introduced the duo to Dr. Cecil Hale, a Capitol Records executive who signed the duo to the label. Two LPs were issued, Wall to Wall and Rise. Another René & Angela song, the ballad "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love," was recorded by Alton McClain & Destiny on their self-titled 1978 Polydor LP. In 1985, René & Angela signed to the Mercury imprint. Their label debut, Street Called Desire, went gold, yielding the number one R&B hits "Save Your Love (For #1)," which featured a rap by Kurtis Blow, and "Your Smile." An earlier René & Angela song would resurface in a big way. The first single from Stephanie Mills' 1985 Stephanie Mills album was "Stand Back"; on its flipside was her passionate cover of "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love." Because of its massive radio play as an album track, Mills' version was reissued as an A-side and held the number one spot for two weeks in spring 1986.
By 1987, Winbush was solo and got her first production job on the Isley Brothers' Smooth Sailing LP after the group's lead singer, Ronald Isley, mentioned to Warner Bros. records executive Benny Medina that he wanted to work with the group who did "Your Smile." After working together, Isley became the singer's manager, and he continued to benefit from Winbush's songwriting and production talents. The two married in 1993, but later divorced.
After she released her third solo album, a self-titled Top 12 R&B hit, in 1994, Winbush largely worked in the background. In the early 2000s, she fought -- and beat -- ovarian cancer. The TV One network gave her career some much-deserved attention in 2010, when it made her the subject of one of their Unsung documentaries.
Howard Hewett
Among the great pure vocalists of the urban contemporary era, Howard Hewett has seldom found material worthy of his tremendous skills. He grew up in Akron, Ohio and relocated to Los Angeles. Hewett danced on Soul Train, and became one-third of Shalamar with Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley in 1979. They had several big hits before Hewett departed for a solo career in 1985. He signed with Elektra, and his second single, "I'm for Real," was a number two R&B hit in 1986. The follow-up single, "Stay," also made the Top Ten, while "I Commit to Love" in 1987 reached number 12. Hewitt remained on Elektra through the '80s and into the '90s, earning another hit with "Strange Relationship" in 1988 and cutting duets with Dionne Warwick and Anita Baker. He also became busy as a writer, producer, and session vocalist. Hewett co-wrote and produced "Frustration" for LaToya Jackson in 1984, and sang on her LP Heart Don't Lie. He did lead vocals on LPs by Stanley Clarke and George Duke in 1984 and 1986, a duet with Stacy Lattisaw on "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," and sang with Firefox in 1986, as well as doing backgrounds on a Donna Summer release. An eponymous 1990 album by Hewett included the number two R&B hit “Show Me,” and the singer followed up with 1992’s Allegiance and 1994’s It’s Time before going on hiatus as a solo artist and concentrating on his work as a background vocalist on albums by a variety of jazz musicians, including Duke and Joe Sample. Hewett returned with the 2001 gospel album The Journey, and the single “Enough” (also featuring Duke) arrived in 2006, followed by the holiday effort Howard Hewett Christmas in 2008.
Surround Sound Band
Surround Sound Band, Seattle’s Premier Live R&B, Soul and Funk cover band comprised of some the most talented musicians/vocalist in the Seattle area.
February 14, 2016 @ 6:00 pm
$65 – $85
Angela Winbush
Singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and producer Angela Winbush's credentials include solo hits such as her R&B number one "Angel"; hits as half of the singing duo René & Angela and their hits "Save Your Love (For #1)" and "Your Smile"; and hits she wrote for Stephanie Mills and the Isley Brothers. Besides Rene Moore, Winbush's early collaborators included Rufus' bassist Bobby Watson, engineer/producer Bruce Swedien, and George Duke.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Winbush grew up singing gospel music in the church choir and learned to play piano as a child. She had no intentions of pursuing a professional music career when she attended Washington, D.C.'s Howard University, where she majored in architecture. To earn money to pay expenses, she began singing on recording sessions and formed a vocal trio that opened for Van McCoy and Al Jarreau. She became interested in the music business and changed her major to music education.
Around 1977, Winbush sent a demo tape to New York DJ Gary Byrd. He played it over the phone for his friend Stevie Wonder, who called Winbush and invited her to Los Angeles. While singing in Wonder's backup band Wonderlove, Winbush learned about writing and producing by sitting in on sessions with Wonder. In 1980, she met singer/songwriter Rene Moore through Wonderlove vocalist Carolyn Dennis and they began writing songs together, eventually forming the duo René & Angela. In 1978, former Tower of Power lead singer Lenny Williams recorded one of their songs, "Changes." A friend introduced the duo to Dr. Cecil Hale, a Capitol Records executive who signed the duo to the label. Two LPs were issued, Wall to Wall and Rise. Another René & Angela song, the ballad "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love," was recorded by Alton McClain & Destiny on their self-titled 1978 Polydor LP. In 1985, René & Angela signed to the Mercury imprint. Their label debut, Street Called Desire, went gold, yielding the number one R&B hits "Save Your Love (For #1)," which featured a rap by Kurtis Blow, and "Your Smile." An earlier René & Angela song would resurface in a big way. The first single from Stephanie Mills' 1985 Stephanie Mills album was "Stand Back"; on its flipside was her passionate cover of "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love." Because of its massive radio play as an album track, Mills' version was reissued as an A-side and held the number one spot for two weeks in spring 1986.
By 1987, Winbush was solo and got her first production job on the Isley Brothers' Smooth Sailing LP after the group's lead singer, Ronald Isley, mentioned to Warner Bros. records executive Benny Medina that he wanted to work with the group who did "Your Smile." After working together, Isley became the singer's manager, and he continued to benefit from Winbush's songwriting and production talents. The two married in 1993, but later divorced.
After she released her third solo album, a self-titled Top 12 R&B hit, in 1994, Winbush largely worked in the background. In the early 2000s, she fought -- and beat -- ovarian cancer. The TV One network gave her career some much-deserved attention in 2010, when it made her the subject of one of their Unsung documentaries.
Howard Hewett
Among the great pure vocalists of the urban contemporary era, Howard Hewett has seldom found material worthy of his tremendous skills. He grew up in Akron, Ohio and relocated to Los Angeles. Hewett danced on Soul Train, and became one-third of Shalamar with Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley in 1979. They had several big hits before Hewett departed for a solo career in 1985. He signed with Elektra, and his second single, "I'm for Real," was a number two R&B hit in 1986. The follow-up single, "Stay," also made the Top Ten, while "I Commit to Love" in 1987 reached number 12. Hewitt remained on Elektra through the '80s and into the '90s, earning another hit with "Strange Relationship" in 1988 and cutting duets with Dionne Warwick and Anita Baker. He also became busy as a writer, producer, and session vocalist. Hewett co-wrote and produced "Frustration" for LaToya Jackson in 1984, and sang on her LP Heart Don't Lie. He did lead vocals on LPs by Stanley Clarke and George Duke in 1984 and 1986, a duet with Stacy Lattisaw on "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," and sang with Firefox in 1986, as well as doing backgrounds on a Donna Summer release. An eponymous 1990 album by Hewett included the number two R&B hit “Show Me,” and the singer followed up with 1992’s Allegiance and 1994’s It’s Time before going on hiatus as a solo artist and concentrating on his work as a background vocalist on albums by a variety of jazz musicians, including Duke and Joe Sample. Hewett returned with the 2001 gospel album The Journey, and the single “Enough” (also featuring Duke) arrived in 2006, followed by the holiday effort Howard Hewett Christmas in 2008.
Surround Sound Band
Surround Sound Band, Seattle’s Premier Live R&B, Soul and Funk cover band comprised of some the most talented musicians/vocalist in the Seattle area.
